


Five Times

by lokit5083



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Comfort, Developing Relationship, F/M, Five Times, Fluff, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), let them rest, pre-relationnship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-23
Updated: 2017-06-23
Packaged: 2018-11-18 04:08:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11283441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lokit5083/pseuds/lokit5083
Summary: Five times we're both awake in the middle of the night





	Five Times

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this a while ago, for wandasmaximoffs, and I was going through works and thought I'd post it

**I.**

    He couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept through the night without the aid of drugs or ice. He still couldn’t remember much at all, actually, but he’d been getting better. Still, each little thing remembered was written down, just in case he one day lapsed back into forgetfulness on a basis more permanent than the occasional hiccup

    What he did remember, though, without fail, was the feeling of a gun in his hand, the sensation of his bullet finding its mark, and the way nothing he felt as he watched the light fade from their eyes. That’s what kept him up on these nights. That’s why he was up now.

    Stepping into the kitchen of the Avengers’ Facility, he was pleased to see a pot of coffee already made. He supposed he wasn’t the only one to have trouble sleeping here, anyway, and for a moment he felt selfishly glad. Getting a cup, breathing in the steam and exhaling softly. It was black, and it was stale, but it was distracting, and that was good. He went to one of the living areas, not entirely surprised to see that one of the chairs were already full. He sat on a couch on the other side of the room, sipping his drink as he watched the other.

    Wanda, he recalled, though the image that came to mind of scarlet ferocity was very different from what he now saw in front of him. Her hair was curly, and the bags under her eyes clear. She looked…tiny.

    They were silent, each focusing mainly on the drink they had in their hands, aside from the occasional glances aimed at the other. They shared a silent curiosity, though they were too enveloped in their own thoughts to do anything.

    So there they sat, in the darkness of the early morning, each attempting to escape their own personal hells.  

**II.**

    Two nights later, he went down again. The night before, he’d gone to the training facility to take his anger out on the equipment there. It helped to clear his mind when nothing else did. It felt good to get his anger out on something that wasn’t a person.

    Now, though, the coffee would do. Strong and dark as the shadow he once was. It was enough to keep him going without the rush of anger and adrenaline. Now was the time to sit. A still, emotionless shell of all he once was. He preferred these days to those when he feared losing himself again.

    In he went to the quiet area he sat in before, and once again he saw the small, vulnerable witch sitting in one of the chairs.

    "Morning,“ he said, voice soft as he looked at her.

    She perked up, eyes meeting his. Even in the early morning, her eyes shone with fear-laced fight-or-flight, as he was sure his did, too. “Good morning.”

    He sat, then, letting out a soft breath. No more was said, but they were, perhaps, more at ease than they had been.

    Perhaps.

**III.**

The next time he padded quietly into the kitchen, he found himself thinking about her. The thoughts weren’t positive, but they weren’t negative, either. They were simple thoughts of whether she would be there. It was pleasant, though, to have something else to think about at a time where the only other thoughts in his head were of war and death. Blood and fear.

    When he stepped out into the living area, he found Wanda there, in her same chair. Her eyes rose to meet his as he stepped in, and she gave a faint smile. He returned it as he sat, watching her for a short while as he decided what to do. Time passed as the pair sipped their drinks in silence. In this digital world, there wasn’t even the ticking of a clock to fill the empty room.

    “You don’t have to sit alone, you know.” The words came softly, though they were enough to raise Wanda’s head, her eyes full of wary confusion. Even he wasn’t entirely sure what caused him to reach out. Maybe it was the loneliness, or the feeling of understanding that sparked within him when he saw her on those mornings. Either way, he thought that, just maybe, it could help both of them to have company.

    After a moment, she nodded slowly before standing up. She hesitated, then, for a second, before moving to sit on the other side of the couch. She didn’t seem overly comfortable, but she was there, and that counted for something.

    If they were both going to suffer, they may as well do so together.

**IV.**

He didn’t see her on those mornings for a while, after that. He wasn’t surprised, really, after the closeness of that last night. Both of them had trouble trusting others, so it wasn’t hard for him to understand where she was coming from. Still, he’d liked having her there. They may not have talked, but it gave him something else to focus on to keep him in the moment instead of drifting back through the memories of a darker time.

    They still saw each other during the day, but they were hardly able to get personal time.  And even then, he wasn’t all that willing to force her into a situation she didn’t want to be in. (HYDRA had left him over-sensitive to consent.) So, as much as he wanted to get a moment aside with her, the combination of not getting a moment and not wanting a moment made sure the conversation wasn’t had.

    Soon enough, though, he found it wasn’t necessary. Time passed, and one morning he came out to find Wanda, blanket and tea, curled up on one side of the couch. As he came in with his coffee, he smiled. It was small, but it was there, and it was something.

    “Hey, Witch,” he said as he sat, his voice soft and tired.

    “Hello,  James,” she replied. She was the only one who called him that. Well, her and her brother, but he didn’t talk to Pietro, much. Though he preferred Bucky, there was a sort of…intimacy that came with it, that he didn’t dislike. It was strange, really. They didn’t know each other all that well, but he supposed it was the same intimacy that came with sharing these mornings. If he were to choose anyone to call him by his given name, it would be her.

    “Sleep well?” he asked, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips, his head leaning against the back of the couch, turned to face her.

  “Wonderfully,” she answered, tone filled with tired sarcasm.

    "Good to hear, ” he replied, voice featuring the same tone, head rolling to face the ceiling. It was nearly enjoyable to be able to take a moment to be less serious. If it had been a better topic, he was sure it would actually be able to be considered enjoyable. But for now, they would have to settle for almost.

    And almost was enough.

**V.**

They were friendlier, after that, both during the day as well as those mornings. It was like a wall between them had cracked. The cold and frightened mornings slowly turned into something more comfortable. Though they still weren’t preferable to sleep, they were able to act as a balm on those early mornings.

    They sat together, as they did now, each with their preferred drink. Though their nightmares remained private, they did their best to comfort the other, whether through distracting conversation or silent companionship. Somehow, they made each other happy. At the very least, they were able to keep each other content and free from the darkness worse than that of these mornings.

    The air was silent around them as, almost as though it was brought on by the better mood,  the first light of morning crept through the windows. It was peaceful, which was something they both so rarely experienced.

    Later, when the first agents came filtering in, they would find the Scarlet Witch and Winter Soldier asleep, curled together on one of the couches, his arm around her shoulders.

    The pair would find somewhere more private to spend their mornings, after that.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr @enjamras


End file.
